Beneath the Fire (A Guardians Novella)

by Victoria Paige

  Nathan felt himself stiffen when he saw Jack McCord glowering and prowling toward them. Uh-oh.

  “Stark.”

  “McCord.”

  “This better be the last fucking time you rope Maia into some fucking rogue mission,” he growled.

  “Sorry you had to come rescue us,” Nathan replied warily.

  McCord sighed as he looked over to his fiancée who had come up beside him. He slung an arm around her, drew her close and kissed the top of her head. “I did promise her I would rescue her ass whenever it gets into trouble.”

  “Hey, we would have done just fine,” Maia retorted.

  Nathan chuckled. “Uh, I think the odds were against us, Maia.”

  “You haven’t seen bad odds yet, rookie,” Maia shot back.

  Everyone laughed.

  “I’m thankful for all of your help,” Lucy piped in.

  “Does this mean that Nathan is forgiven?” Maia asked teasingly.

  Lucy averted her eyes and smiled wistfully. Nathan felt his heart drop.

  “Come on, babe, let’s give these kids a moment.” Jack drew Maia away.

  “But—”

  “Babe,” McCord said firmly and Nathan’s sassy redheaded mentor obeyed.

  Turning back to Lucy, Nathan frowned when a single tear rolled down her cheek. He tilted her face up to him.

  “What’s wrong, Lucy babe?” he asked gently.

  “I was so scared I was going to lose you,” Lucy whispered.

  “Hey, it would take more than a knife in the back to get rid of me, Lucy.”

  “I realized something, Nathan...” Lucy broke off as a sob rose up her throat. “I love you. I do love you. Everything was so surreal. I thought you were going to die and it was going to be all my fault.”

  “Lucy, nothing that happened is your fault.”

  “It is too. You came here because of me.”

  “I was already on the case. We would have gone after your father later even if you guys had not gone in.”

  “I’m just thinking how badly this could have gone down,” Lucy said. “If you and Maia had not shown up. This would have ended in Tampico and my Papa probably would have me and my brother locked up for the rest of our lives.”

  Nathan hugged her fiercely. “I wouldn’t let that happen. I would never let that happen.”

  “Take me home, Nathan,” Lucy said softly.

  “I will babe, but first...”

  Nathan leaned in and kissed his girl.

  CHAPTER TEN

  It had been a week since that eventful day in Mexico. Lucy did not know what exactly went down between the FBI and her father, but according to Leo, Francisco Cortez had given up the pleasure slave trade. Her father had too many connections to be extradited to the US for prosecution, but he had made a deal with the FBI to placate Senator Bauer for now.

  Leo had moved to DC, much to Lucy’s happiness. He was staying with his friend Felipe before deciding to find a place of his own. On their way back from Texas, Lucy had asked her brother to stay with her. Her brother raised a brow and looked pointedly at Nathan. Lucy blushed.

  Lucy’s thoughts turned to Nathan, her friend, her man, her lover. She smiled. They had been inseparable this past week and he had asked her to move in with him. His reason was, they slept over at each other’s places anyway. Why not just live together? She was so tempted, but there was still that part of her that wasn’t ready to let go. Their relationship felt both new and old. New because they could be themselves with each other with no secrets; old, well the feelings had always been there. The new Nathan was the same possessive, playful lacrosse player she knew, the only difference was, he did not need to act like a jock anymore. He was responsible, he was an undercover agent for heaven’s sake. She had her own real life James Bond.

  Giggling to herself, Lucy dried her hair. In fact, one of the changes in their relationship was actual dating as opposed to just hanging out. He was taking her to dinner tonight at a trendy and pricey restaurant in DC. Though Lucy was sure they would still go out for Antonio’s pizza and beer, she was excited to dress up and wear the new stilettos she had bought. She and Eva had gone out shopping after the whole ordeal as some sort of therapy.

  Lucy thought of the eight girls they had rescued. The FBI had arranged for them to be reunited with their families. Right now, Lucy and Leo agreed to remain anonymous in their role in the rescue, even if the victims knew who they were. She was done, and hopefully her father truly shared the same sentiment. Leo said that maybe seeing her that night and hearing what she had said, had jarred something in their Papa’s conscience. She had no regrets.

  After drying her hair, she finished off her makeup and was about to put her dress on when the doorbell rang. Lucy checked the clock and smiled. Nathan was thirty minutes early. Was he hoping to catch her in her robe and get lucky before dinner?

  She made her way to the front door. He could forget about a quickie, she was not about to let him ruin her makeup.

  “Nathan, you...” Lucy’s voice died on her lips as a Middle Eastern looking stranger stood before her, his dark piercing eyes raking up her appearance with undisguised malevolence.

  His hand reached out. And everything turned black.

  ***

  Fuck. He was going to be late. Damned thing about Georgetown was parking. He was not about to text Lucy to come down and meet him at the car on a dinner date. It was akin to honking the horn and he was going to do everything right, damn it. His girl deserved the best. He glanced at the bouquet of gerbera daisies on the passenger seat. They were her favorite flowers.

  He saw a car pull out and quickly maneuvered his BMW into the newly vacated spot. He and Maia were given a one week suspension following their actions last week. Nathan put it to full use by spending every hour he could with Lucy, getting to know the girl she was without any secrets between them and helping her brother get settled in. It was a good thing Leo Cortez had the good sense not to live with his sister. The last thing Nathan needed was an older brother breathing down his neck.

  He had stopped by at AGS earlier today for a briefing on general company business. It was announced that Jack McCord had invested in the company. Viktor still had full autonomy on the operations, but McCord would have unlimited access to mission information including deployment schedules, locations, and targets. Nathan shook his head as he remembered the look on Maia’s face when the announcement was made. Apparently she was not aware of her fiancé’s actions and had stormed out of the room. Though Jack McCord was not present at the briefing, he almost felt sorry for the guy. Almost immediately, a betting pool was started in regards to whether their wedding was going to push through or not.

  Nathan chuckled.

  Lucy seemed to have accepted the nature of his work, but they had yet to discuss how it would affect their future.

  His phone buzzed in his pocket. Nathan checked the time, he was five minutes early so he took the call.

  “Stark.”

  “It’s Tim. Is Lucy with you?”

  That one question caused his gut to clench in a painful knot.

  “On my way to see her, why?”

  “Shit. I tried calling her, but there was no answer.”

  “Damn it, Tim what’s going on?” Nathan growled as he reached over to his glove compartment to get his gun.

  “The Saudi authorities under directive from the FBI were able to nab Akheel Faheed — the man who was supposed to buy the girls from Francisco Cortez—”

  “Get to the fucking point!” Nathan roared as he slammed out of the car and jogged down the street to Lucy’s apartment.

  “Faheed found out Cortez ratted him out. He wants retribution,” Tim said quickly, but Nathan already had a sinking feeling about what it was and barely heard the rest of the analyst’s words. “His assassin landed in Dulles today. Target is Lucy Cortez.”

  “Get units to her house,” Nathan said hoarsely. Air deserted his lungs. His chest was so fucking tight and his vision blurred f
rom a rush of adrenalin coursing through his veins. Breathe, you’re better than this, Stark.

  When he made it to Lucy’s apartment, he was about to charge up the front stairs when he caught himself. What the hell was he doing?

  Shaking his head, he rounded to the back and pulled down the fire exit stairs. Lucy had French doors in her bedroom that opened to the balcony. He’d been after her to replace those damned locks because they were so easy to pick. He tested the ladder making sure he had extended it correctly so it wouldn’t unhinge noisily when he weighed it down. He cautiously climbed the steps, hoping that it was nothing and Lucy was at her dresser preparing for their date. But when he got to the small landing in front of her bedroom and peeked through the glass door, his eyes were blinded by white hot rage.

  ***

  Lucy slowly came to. The back of her head hurt, but when she tried to touch it, she realized that her wrists were bound and so were her feet. She was tied, spreadeagled on her bed, her robe was open and all she had on underneath was her lace bra and underwear. All she remembered was... a man... she had been stun gunned!

  But who?

  “Good, you’re awake. I was about to splash some cold water on you,” a deeply accented voice said. Lucy turned and watched a tall, bald man with a full beard and the darkest of eyes walk into the room. He was holding a long curved knife. A very sharp-looking knife.

  “Who are you?”

  “You may call me Sayeed”

  “Why?”

  “Vengeance.”

  “What did I do?” Lucy rasped. Her throat was dry and fear chilled the blood in her veins.

  The man sat down beside her. “Hush. Hush. Little girl. I’ll make it quick. I just want to let you know why I must kill you.”

  Oh god! This man was a psycho. And Nathan. He was going to find her all bled out on her bed, or worse this man might hurt him too.

  “You are very beautiful, it’s a pity.” The man took out a camera and showed her the pictures he had taken of her, sprawled out on the bed almost naked.

  “You’re sick,” Lucy whispered.

  “No. Akheel Faheed wants your father to feel the worst possible pain caused by his treachery. The pain of losing a daughter.” The man’s eyes turned manic with blood lust. “I will take another picture of you after your bedsheets turn the color of crimson.”

  “You’re sick,” Lucy repeated.

  “Such a waste.” The cold metal of the knife traveled eerily down the curves of her body. “Beautiful. Wrong for a child to pay for the sins of the father, but there is no other way.”

  The knife traveled back to her throat. His hand covered her mouth. Lucy squeezed her eyes shut. I love you, Nathan. The first slice of the knife. The pain was sharp. Make it quick.

  A shot rung out.

  ***

  Lucy’s eyes fluttered open. There was pressure against her throat.

  “This is Nathan Stark. I’m at 555 Deacon Street. Send an ambulance. Goddamn it! My girlfriend’s throat’s been cut open! Send a fucking ambulance now!”

  “Nathan,” Lucy whispered.

  “Lucy, are you with me?” Nathan’s voice was hoarse.

  “Not dead?”

  “No, babe... you’re fine. You’ll be fine.”

  “Hurts.”

  Nathan made a guttural sound between a growl and sob. “I’m sorry. I was too late Lucy, god. Fuck.”

  “Nathan.”

  “Stay with me. Please.”

  “OK.”

  “Babe, stay with me. God Lucy... I love you.”

  Nathan’s voice faded into blessed oblivion.

  ***

  There was too much blood. Nathan washed his hands, rubbing them together under running water until they felt raw. His hands that had tried to stem the flow of blood that spurted out of Lucy’s slender throat. He had been too late. The fucker Sayeed had pressed the knife against her throat. Nathan didn’t know how deep it went, just that there was so much fucking blood.

  The paramedics had arrived quickly—Tim had made a judgment call and notified them immediately after calling the MPDC. They pulled him away, giving him assurances that they would do everything to help her. He nearly lost it when she lost consciousness and her mouth filled up with blood. He had not wanted to remove his hand, he feared that if he did, she would simply die. The knife had nicked an artery and it was only through his AGS training that he had the presence of mind to reach into her throat and pinch off the bleeding. As he watched the paramedics work over her, he could feel the blood roaring in his ears, everything had slowed to him hearing every fucking breath he took.

  He splashed water on his face. Nathan stared at his reflection in the mirror. Her blood on his shirt had dried up. He couldn’t lose her. He loved her so damned much. Why did this happen to her? He would gladly take every shred of her pain and endure it for her. She looked so frail when they loaded her into the ambulance. It was as if her life force had been sucked out of her.

  Leo crashed through the restroom door. “Anything?” The nurse must have told him where he was. He had remembered to call Leo and Eva before he left for the hospital.

  Nathan shook his head. Leo stared at his bloody shirt, turning white as sheet. “Is that... her... blood?”

  “Come on, man,” Nathan urged as he guided the dazed Leo out of the men’s room. Eva was sitting on the floor crying.

  “She’s going to make it,” Nathan stated resolutely. And he knew he said this more for his sake than for Leo and Eva. “There was a lot of blood, but the paramedics were able to stabilize her and stop the bleeding.”

  “Why? Who would want to hurt my sister?” Leo said angrily.

  “Akheel Faheed found out your father made a deal with the FBI to give him up,” Nathan said. “Before the FBI was able to shut him down, he managed to call a hit on your sister for retribution.”

  “Son of a bitch!” Leo muttered angrily. “How much more will we pay for our father’s stupidity?”

  “Hopefully, this is it.” Nathan said quietly.

  A man in blue scrubs walked through the double doors into the waiting room. His gaze zeroed in on Nathan and his bloody shirt. “Lucy Cortez?”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  4 weeks later

  “I think it would look better over here,” Lucy said, eyeing the wingback loveseat that Leo and Nathan were carrying.

  “Whatever you say, babe,” Nathan replied good-naturedly.

  “Quit being so difficult, Luce,” Leo grumbled.

  She was officially moving in with Nathan. She had been staying at his place for the past four weeks anyway; it only made sense to terminate her lease on her apartment. Lucy felt a shudder go through her as she remembered her old place. She had loved that apartment, she had spent her first three years of college there and now that memory was tarnished by a heinous act of revenge.

  She was thankful that Nathan had cleared out the remnants of that bloody night by the time she was released from the hospital. Lucy still had nightmares of Sayeed. The cold steel of the sharp blade was so vivid and she would wake up trembling and crying, but Nathan was always there to soothe her.

  She went to a trauma counselor twice, but she found out she had a great network of friends and family who were always there for her. Her mother had flown in the very next day after the attack and had stayed for a week. Eva and Leo were visiting everyday. So she was never alone, and the cocoon of security was slowly rebuilt.

  Plus, Nathan was her rock.

  “Well, are you happy now?” Leo’s disgruntled voice broke through her ruminations.

  “It’s perfect, Leo.” Lucy walked up to her brother and gave him a peck on the cheek before moving over to Nathan to circle his hips. His arms immediately came around to hug her.

  “Thanks, honey,” Lucy stood on tiptoe, tilted her head up and gave Nathan an affectionate smack on the lips.

  “Anytime, babe.”

  “Alright, I guess that’s the last of it, I’m outta here before I puke,” Leo said. �
�You guys are so cheesy.”

  “Don’t forget Sunday dinner!” Lucy called after her brother.

  Leo just raised his hand in acknowledgement without looking back.

  “Guess he can’t wait to get out of here...” Nathan murmured. “Works for me...”

  Lucy glanced up suspiciously at her boyfriend. He was grinning devilishly down at her. She quirked an eyebrow and said, “No.”

  “Why not?” Nathan breathed into her ear and she felt a warm tingle between her legs.

  “Because... you’re sweaty and I just showered,” Lucy retorted, but heaven help her, his masculine sweaty scent was turning her on big time.

  “Yeah, you smell delicious,” Nathan whispered. He herded her toward the loveseat until the back of her legs hit the edge. She lost her balance and plopped down on her ass. “I think we should try out the new furniture.”

  “It’s not new... it’s...oh,” Lucy gasped as Nathan knelt down before her, quickly unfastening her shorts and pulling them off, leaving her in her panties. Then he wedged himself between her legs, leaned in and kissed her thoroughly, his hand sneaking under her shirt and flicking her nipple with his thumb through her bra.

  After a few minutes of scorching kisses, he leaned back, his eyes smoldering possessively, leaving Lucy mesmerized as they stared at each other

  “You are so beautiful...” Nathan whispered. He reached out and gently removed her shirt. The back of one hand stroked the top of her breast in a tender caress before slipping behind her to unhook her bra. A groan escaped his lips as he greedily sucked the plump orb into his mouth, grazing the nipple with his teeth while his hand dipped into the waistband of her panties, cupping her where she needed him the most.